Look to the past for the future of your printer

By JEFF WERNER / Daily News columnist

Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 10:30 AM.

Q:I recently went from Windows 8.0 to 8.1 when promoted by Windows auto updates. Now my Dell 922 printer will not print. Troubleshooting only tells me the printer is not supported. Microsoft search informs that Dell is aware there is no current driver to address this issue. I have read many similar complaints on various forums. Can you shed some light on this problem?

– Bev H., Odessa, Texas

A: According to my research, the printer you listed is not compatible with either Windows 8 or 8.1. In order to get it to work, you’ll need to have a driver for an older version of Windows, such as WinXP. Then install that driver in compatibility mode. That’s a neat little feature of the last few versions of Windows that allows it to pretend that it’s an older version of Windows (such as Win XP) so legacy drivers and programs that are otherwise not compatible will run. If what I’ve read about your printer is accurate, your computer would have had to be set up this way before your upgrade to 8.1 in order for your printer to work. If your Windows 8 installation was an upgrade from an older version of Windows, it’s possible the installer put the driver in compatibility mode for you. If your Win 8 installation was not an upgrade, then it is important to find out what driver version you were using under Win 8 and re-install it under Win 8.1. Is that clear as mud? Maybe visiting tinyurl.com/ckunkak will help clear it up a bit. That’s the Microsoft Compatibility Center page for your printer. It has links that will give you more information, as well as help you download the older driver that I mentioned above and instructions on how to use compatibility mode. Good luck!

Q:When I try to go online I sometimes have to try two or three times and get a message telling me “An error has occurred in the scripts on this page.” along with supporting information, such as the line, character, and error code. The error says “expected ‘/’” and lists the URL http:/fastcontent.conduit.com/tihtml?ctid:ct3317212~1043-0&ismanagedtrue. I check “no” and it usually solves the problem. Is there some way to overcome this problem easily since I am 72 years old and not a computer expert? Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

– Bob S., Fort Walton Beach

A: It may interest you to know that you have a malware infection, Bob. Unfortunately for the malware author, it’s not a very well-written piece of malware, because it is causing your system to error. A properly formatted web address begins with the string “http://”. The one in your error message is missing a /, and in fact, the message is telling you that it was expecting to see a second /. So, what is happening is that the malware is trying to force your browser to execute a piece of JavaScript to visit a particular website, but the site address has an error in it.

Rather than trying to solve the error (which would only help the malware author) let’s get rid of the malware instead. Any of the common malware removal utilities that are frequently mentioned in this column should easily clean this off your system. These include apps such as Malwarebytes, Junkware Removal Tool (JRT), Super Anti-Spyware, Kaspersky, and even Microsoft Security Essentials. Since your PC has this infection, it sounds like it is way overdue for some anti-Malware software. Search for any of these titles to get your copy. If you need more information about the removal, visit tinyurl.com/k4nwv9l (that last letter is a lower-case L) to find some simple instructions and other links.

Q:I recently went from Windows 8.0 to 8.1 when promoted by Windows auto updates. Now my Dell 922 printer will not print. Troubleshooting only tells me the printer is not supported. Microsoft search informs that Dell is aware there is no current driver to address this issue. I have read many similar complaints on various forums. Can you shed some light on this problem?

– Bev H., Odessa, Texas

A: According to my research, the printer you listed is not compatible with either Windows 8 or 8.1. In order to get it to work, you’ll need to have a driver for an older version of Windows, such as WinXP. Then install that driver in compatibility mode. That’s a neat little feature of the last few versions of Windows that allows it to pretend that it’s an older version of Windows (such as Win XP) so legacy drivers and programs that are otherwise not compatible will run. If what I’ve read about your printer is accurate, your computer would have had to be set up this way before your upgrade to 8.1 in order for your printer to work. If your Windows 8 installation was an upgrade from an older version of Windows, it’s possible the installer put the driver in compatibility mode for you. If your Win 8 installation was not an upgrade, then it is important to find out what driver version you were using under Win 8 and re-install it under Win 8.1. Is that clear as mud? Maybe visiting tinyurl.com/ckunkak will help clear it up a bit. That’s the Microsoft Compatibility Center page for your printer. It has links that will give you more information, as well as help you download the older driver that I mentioned above and instructions on how to use compatibility mode. Good luck!

Q:When I try to go online I sometimes have to try two or three times and get a message telling me “An error has occurred in the scripts on this page.” along with supporting information, such as the line, character, and error code. The error says “expected ‘/’” and lists the URL http:/fastcontent.conduit.com/tihtml?ctid:ct3317212~1043-0&ismanagedtrue. I check “no” and it usually solves the problem. Is there some way to overcome this problem easily since I am 72 years old and not a computer expert? Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

– Bob S., Fort Walton Beach

A: It may interest you to know that you have a malware infection, Bob. Unfortunately for the malware author, it’s not a very well-written piece of malware, because it is causing your system to error. A properly formatted web address begins with the string “http://”. The one in your error message is missing a /, and in fact, the message is telling you that it was expecting to see a second /. So, what is happening is that the malware is trying to force your browser to execute a piece of JavaScript to visit a particular website, but the site address has an error in it.

Rather than trying to solve the error (which would only help the malware author) let’s get rid of the malware instead. Any of the common malware removal utilities that are frequently mentioned in this column should easily clean this off your system. These include apps such as Malwarebytes, Junkware Removal Tool (JRT), Super Anti-Spyware, Kaspersky, and even Microsoft Security Essentials. Since your PC has this infection, it sounds like it is way overdue for some anti-Malware software. Search for any of these titles to get your copy. If you need more information about the removal, visit tinyurl.com/k4nwv9l (that last letter is a lower-case L) to find some simple instructions and other links.